Nematodes are the most abundant animal on Earth, but when times get tough, these tiny worms have a hard time moving up and out. So, they play to the strength of their clade. If food runs out and competition turns fierce,

It's the stuff of nightmares: countless worms slithering over each other to form a slimy tower that can move like a single superorganism. And yet researchers from the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior have just confirmed it's real.